Worship by the Book
Introduction: The War on Worship
We live in an age that treats the worship of God as a matter of personal taste, like choosing a restaurant. One man prefers the high liturgy, another wants the smoke machines and rock anthems, and a third wants a quiet, contemplative hour. The driving question is almost always pragmatic or consumeristic: what will attract people, what will make them feel good, what will "work" for our demographic? This approach is not just a minor error; it is a fundamental rebellion against the First Commandment. The God who thundered from Sinai does not submit His preferences for our approval. He does not distribute comment cards. He issues commands.
The chaos we see in our culture, the unraveling of every institution, the confusion over the most basic realities of life, is a direct consequence of a church that has forgotten how to worship. When a people no longer knows how to approach a holy God on His terms, they will soon forget how to do everything else. They will have no anchor, no standard, no transcendent authority. All of life becomes a do it yourself project, and the result is the collapsing tower of Babel we see all around us. Into this confusion, the story of Josiah's Passover comes as a bracing wind of reformation. Here we see a king who, having rediscovered the law of God, does not treat it as a collection of helpful suggestions. He treats it as the non negotiable Word of the King of kings. This Passover is a national restoration of worship, not according to what was popular or innovative, but according to the book.
This was not about creating a new, relevant worship experience. It was about recovering the ancient, commanded one. This Passover was a national declaration that Yahweh, and not the idols of the age, sets the terms for His own worship. This is the grammar of a godly nation, and it begins not in the halls of parliament, but before the altar of God.
The Text
Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. And he caused the priests to stand in their responsibilities and strengthened them in the service of the house of Yahweh. He also said to the Levites who provided understanding to all Israel and who were holy to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; it will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve Yahweh your God and His people Israel. So prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and according to the writing of his son Solomon. Moreover, stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your brothers the lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. Now slaughter the Passover animals, sanctify yourselves and prepare for your brothers to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.”
And Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering 30,000 plus 3,000 bulls; these were from the king’s possessions. His officials also contributed a freewill offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 from the flocks and 300 bulls. Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officials of the Levites, contributed to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 from the flocks and 500 bulls.
So the service was prepared, and the priests stood at their stations and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s commandment. And they slaughtered the Passover animals, and while the priests splashed the blood received from their hand, the Levites skinned them. Then they took away the portions for the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to bring near to Yahweh, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls. So they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the legal judgment, and they boiled the holy things in pots, in kettles, in pans, and carried them speedily to all the lay people. Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their stations according to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to turn aside from their service, because the Levites their brothers prepared for them.
So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh according to the commandment of King Josiah. Thus the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. And there had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah celebrated with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was celebrated.
(2 Chronicles 35:1-19 LSB)
A King Who Commands Worship (vv. 1-6)
The first thing we must notice is the role of the king. Josiah does not suggest, or invite, or form a committee to survey the people's felt needs. The text says he "celebrated the Passover," and "caused the priests to stand," and "strengthened them in the service." This is active, authoritative, godly leadership. Josiah understands that as the civil magistrate, his primary duty is not to the economy or to foreign policy, but to the covenant faithfulness of his nation before God. He is the king, and he commands true worship.
This runs entirely contrary to the modern pietistic notion that the state must be utterly secular, that faith is a private matter for the individual heart. That is a lie from the pit. Godly rulers have always been charged with upholding both tables of the law. Josiah is not imposing his personal preferences; he is enforcing the written constitution of the nation, which is the law of God. He is calling the nation back to its covenant obligations.
And look at the nature of his commands. He tells the Levites to put the Ark in the temple permanently. The time for wandering is over. The time for settled, established, faithful service is here. He organizes them by their divisions, "according to the writing of David king of Israel and according to the writing of his son Solomon." And the capstone of it all is that they are to do everything "according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses." This is the regulative principle of worship in flashing neon lights. Our worship is not defined by our sincerity, our creativity, or our emotional response. It is defined by the Word of God. God has spoken, and our job is not to innovate, but to obey.
Lavish, Sacrificial Generosity (vv. 7-9)
True worship is never cheap. Josiah leads the way not just with his commands, but with his possessions. He contributes a staggering number of animals from his own property: thirty thousand lambs and young goats, and three thousand bulls. This is not a token gesture. This is a king pouring out his wealth for the worship of God. His officials follow his lead, contributing thousands more. This is the polar opposite of a consumer mindset in worship, which asks, "What am I getting out of this?" The question of true worship is, "What can I give to the God who has given me everything?"
This lavish generosity is a direct fruit of rediscovering the law. When you truly grasp the holiness of God, the depth of your sin, and the astonishing grace of His covenant provision, the purse strings will loosen. Awe of God kills covetousness. The people were not being taxed for this; these were contributions and freewill offerings. This was a joyful, willing outpouring of substance, a recognition that all they had belonged to Yahweh anyway. Their hearts, having been humbled by the law, were now opened in generosity. Reformation and revival are always costly, and the first place the cost is felt is in our own wallets.
The Bloody, Joyful Work of Atonement (vv. 10-15)
We must not sanitize what is happening here. The scene at the temple would have been overwhelming. It was an abattoir, a place of industrial scale slaughter. The priests stood at their stations, splashing basins of blood against the altar. The Levites were skinning thousands of carcasses. The air would have been thick with the smell of blood and roasting meat. This is not a tidy, sterile, seeker sensitive affair. This is the bloody, serious business of atonement.
The blood is the point. It screams from the ground about the gravity of sin. It testifies that the wages of sin is death, and that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Every slaughtered lamb was a sermon, a graphic depiction of the substitutionary death required to cover the sins of the people. This is the gospel in picture form, and it is a brutal, offensive, and absolutely necessary picture.
But this bloody work is the foundation for a glorious feast. They "roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the legal judgment." They boiled the holy things and "carried them speedily to all the lay people." This is a meal of deliverance, a festival of joy. The atonement is made, and now the people feast in the presence of their God. Notice also the orderliness of it all. The priests, Levites, singers, and even the gatekeepers all have their designated stations and roles. This is a corporate, coordinated act of worship. The Levites even prepare the meal for the priests and the singers, ensuring that everyone can fulfill their duties and still partake in the feast. This is a picture of the body of Christ, where each member serves the others for the good of the whole.
A Singular Reformation (vv. 16-19)
The summary statement in verse 16 is telling: "So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day." This is the result of obedience to the book. When God's Word is the standard, the result is order, reverence, and a service that is properly prepared and acceptable to Him.
The Chronicler then adds a stunning historical note. "There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet." Think about that. For centuries, through the reigns of David, Solomon, and all the subsequent kings, they had failed to keep the Passover with this level of precision and national participation. They had neglected the plain commands of God. This revival under Josiah was a glorious, singular, high water mark of faithfulness in a sea of apostasy.
And we must remember the context. This great revival comes right before the final downward spiral into the Babylonian exile. This Passover did not ultimately avert the judgment that was coming. But that does not diminish its glory. Josiah did what was right. He led his people in obedience. And for one bright, shining moment, the nation worshipped God as they ought. Faithfulness is its own reward. This Passover was a fragrant aroma to God, a testament of grace in a dying land, a bright light shining before the darkness fell.
Christ, Our Passover Lamb
As with all Old Testament sacrifices and festivals, this great Passover in Jerusalem was a shadow, and the substance is Christ. Josiah, the good king who restored true worship, is a type of King Jesus, who cleansed the temple and established the new and better covenant.
The lavish sacrifice of tens of thousands of unblemished animals points us to the one, perfect, all sufficient sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Josiah gave generously from his possessions; God the Father did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. The blood of those lambs, splashed on the altar, was a picture of the precious blood of Christ, which truly cleanses us from all sin.
The joyful feast that followed the sacrifice points us to the Lord's Supper. At that table, we eat our Passover meal, remembering our deliverance from the slavery of sin and death. We feast with our King, in the communion of the saints, nourished by the one who is our life.
And the central lesson for us is the same. Worship is not our invention. We are to come to God on His terms, according to His book. Our reformation, in our families, our churches, and our culture, must begin where Josiah's began: with the recovery of the Word of God and the restoration of true, biblical worship. We must tremble before that Word, repent of our man centered innovations, and return to the ancient paths. For Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the feast.